Technology allows remote teaching

When New Hampton Kindergarten teacher Lynn Ries first started teaching 40 years ago, she didn’t imagine the possibility of a student attending class remotely.

“No, I didn’t,” she chuckled.

My, how times have changed. Ries’s classroom has recently been equipped with a piece of technology called a Swivl, which when attached to an iPad enables a homebound student to attend class. Last week a young lady — who temporarily isn’t able to attend school due to influenza and lung issues — used the FaceTime application to present her “show and tell” from home. According to Ries, the technology is useful for many other classroom activities.

“We do it at reading group time, and she doesn’t miss any of the reading” said Ries. “She can also do her math lessons, she can do her workbook pages at home, but she can listen to the introduction and the instructions by FaceTime.”